I got a new niece...

...from Ethiopia. 

Isn't she beautiful!?

My brother and sister-in-law just got back last night from picking her up.  

Her name is Sitota.  She makes #6 for them.

There youngest was not so sure about her.

She was a little tired when they first got there. (27 hour flight time will do that to you!)

We all met her for the first time.

I think she is the prettiest little girl ever!

And to make things even better...they let me do a photoshoot!

I just can't get over how cute she is!  

We'll be doing another photoshoot in a week or so to try and get some smiles out of her.  Things are still a little new for her right now.

We are so happy to have her join our family!

Session 1

This big guy is 1...can't believe how fast this year has gone.  I've been wanting to get outdoors to do his 1 year photoshoot but the weather has just not been cooperating.  So we decided to make do with an indoor one (for now)...not great lighting but we did the best we could.

Love him!

Just to let you all know that it was not all giggles and smiles.

One second...I'm on the phone.

Session 2 will follow as soon as weather permits.

Carter turns 1

We started off Carter's bday with a "Safari" put on special by Grandma and Grandpa.  Each child had to search for their own jungle stuffed animal after given clues to find them.  As seen in the bottom left, Coop was very attached to his.

We ended the safari by singing to Carter and presenting his cake...Lumpy!  For those of you who don't know, we affectionately call Carter, Lumpy because of his size.  The name came from the Heffalump on Winnie the Pooh.  I thought it only appropriate that his first birthday cake represent him.

I got the idea off this site.  It took me 5 cake mixes, 1 recipe chocolate ganache (filling in cakes), double recipe of chocolate frosting (makes the blue fondant stick), double recipe of homemade, marshmallow fondant, and 1 whole day to put it all together.  There were times when I so badly wanted to chuck it all in the trash and start over (dang perfectionist side in me) but I managed to pull it together and not afraid to say now that I am very proud.  In hindsight, it might have been easier had it not been my first time using fondant frosting.

Of course Carter had to follow in his big brother's footsteps and be miserably sick for his 1st birthday, which left him taking 1 lick of frosting (which may be all he ate that day),

and then refusing any other bites.  All that cake and he didn't even eat it...oh well.  At least 10 of his cousins were there to devour it.

About the only thing he did enjoy doing was squishing it with his fingers and throwing it off his tray.  Whatever floats your boat Lumpy?!

Anyone for cake?  I have still have his whole bum and hind legs left!

Happy Birthday big guy!

Babysitting~Daddy Style

Rock on

Happy V-Day

the many things I love about Caleb stuffed into a cute little jar

breakfast for my boys

caleb's gift~a puzzle that sent me to candy that had the reasons he loved me on them

(i might add that the candy featured Edward and Jacob...oh he knows me all too well ;-)

A Ski Weekend

Caleb's brother arranged to come out from St Louis with his 2 of his kids to have a ski weekend. Caleb and I didn't have any plans so we decided to head out to Colorado to join him. Turns out 2 of his sisters and parents didn't have any plans either so we had a little mini family reunion. It was wonderful to have 2 full ski days with no worries about the babysitter (thanks Randal and AJ). We had so much fun hanging out with family and hope that it becomes a yearly tradition!

Collin (on the right) had his hair sticking out of his hat...hence the snowy look!

Garet does not have a white beard in his 20's, it was just so cold and snowy that his beard froze over! Brrrr~!

Coop enjoyed 2 runs on Daddy's back the first day and then opted to spend the rest of the time back at the house playing with Grandma and Grandad.

If a skier and a snowboarder can make it work, anyone can ;-)

Family Time

On a sidenote, while at the house, Carter was loving my hat and thought he was the funniest guy ever when he put it on.

More Giggles

Just for Fun

The other day I was watching Carter eat his crackers and realized that I have hundreds of pictures of Cooper eating in his first year, but only 1 other eating picture of Carter. So it goes with the second child but I decided that day I wanted to document. Then I just kept taking pictures, which I tend to do. :-)

Carter loves kisses, both giving and getting.

Sorry for the no make-up, had an eye infection and couldn't wear any but I thought Coop looked cute.

He's almost there! He can walk around anything but just hasn't mastered balancing that big belly of his on his own. Soon though!